Running Through Water
by readingisapriority
Summary: [during earth 2 events, post-hoo and trials of apollo referenced] When Percy came home, he thought the Giant War would've been the end of it. The end of dangerous, prophecy-filled life and into the normal human one. But ridden with a severe migraine, kidnapped by some villain straight from a comic book, and having his life in the hands of a superhero...it's just demigod luck.


**Chapter One: Percy Retains His Manhattan Accent**

 **In hindsight, maybe coming back this soon was a bad idea**. And yes, being missing and on a quest for what, ten months was long, but not long enough for everything to sink in. Not long enough for everything to slow down and to give him a chance to take a breather. Maybe for everything to just give him a break for just a second.

It was a few days right after the Giant War and Percy found himself walking through Manhattan. His head hurt. It felt like torture. Not literally of course, but he felt as if his feet were dragging across the sidewalk pavement than actually walking. Percy was fit; he couldn't break into sweat even if he tried. (If he did, it would soon dry after. Son of Poseidon quirks.) But where he was going made him want to dive underwater and stay there. For like, all eternity. Or a month, at best.

Home. The apartment complex near Queensboro Bridge, in Manhattan, in the streets he's walking in and towards. Seven to eight months of comatose and two months of pure hell—or Tartarus, friendship, war, Jason getting knocked unconscious by anything that Gaea had to offer (Percy was never going to live it down much to Piper's amusement and Jason's suffering.); the usual stuff. But all of it meant something. Meaning _missing._

To be honest, Percy loves his home. He loves his Mom and Paul. He loves the little garden in the fire exit. He loves the smell of blue chocolate chip cookies, begging him to come into the kitchen.

He misses the messy days and the neat days of his home. Messy being school, test, work, whatever kind of papers of Paul's sprawled all over his desk and the floor; messy being the ingredients of anything his mom was cooking or baking up being everywhere; messy being the room that he hasn't cleaned in days. (He blames monster fighting) Neat being everything in order, the smell of sea breeze, lavender, blueberry and honey, and the aligned bookshelf.

Percy missed everything. He wanted to run, to burst into his apartment with Mom and Paul's shock, and to hug them both, never letting go until a few minutes later. You know, like in the movies.

But each step, he was having...doubts.

He was _missing._ M-I-S-S-I-N-G. Another day in a life of a demigod, right? No. He was _missing for 7-8 months._ Kidnapped by Hera, leaving no trace except an empty bed and a kiss to Annabeth's forehead. It was only Jason that knew where he was, and that activated the prophecy that kept his family worrying for even more months.

And he'd only left a voice message. From the land where the gods never dared to set foot upon. That was it. He stopped.

How would they react? Yeah, with open arms. But would his mom doubt his existence? Would she sob and crumple to the floor in happiness? If worse, would she be captured, murdered or sick? Percy knew some demigods that had that happened to their family. And what about Paul? What would he say?

A rush of nausea came over him, and he tripped a bit, cluching his head. _Weird. It's been going on since I stepped into Manhattan. Maybe I'm just tired._ He waved it away.

What would they all say to the new person that he had become after...Tartarus? Did he even deserve any of their love after _that_?

 _Jackson, you're overreacting,_ he mentally scolded himself. Yeah, but— _shut up, subconscious. You are going to be normal for once. Don't ruin it._ Percy sighed and kept on walking. His head throbbed.

The **w** eather outside was pleasant, even though Percy wasn't in a pleasant mood. It was five in the afternoon. There was no cloud or sun in the sky, which shouldn't be worrying to anyone else, but to him...Apollo. The last time Percy saw him was being scolded and sent away by Zeus. Percy hoped he was okay, even though he could be annoying at times. The breeze was light, though trees still rustled in the wind. The weather was nice 60 degrees since it was summer.

Like to popular belief, the Manhattan streets were packed with people. There were children and a golden retriever playing with a burst fire hydrant. Percy had may or may not briefly controlled the water to make little water shapes in the air to entertain the kids. Either way, they were happy. A pair of teen girls passed by—was the left one eyeing him over? They giggled. He kept on going. An Asian man with makeup just kissed a pale, muscular but lean, raven-haired man—was that a tattoo on his neck? —on the cheek.

There it was. His home.

Nothing changed really, except for the added small garden of potted red roses on the steps. The blue Prius still had the hoof markings from when Blackjack landed on the car that last year. From the ground, Percy could see the moonlace flowers from Ogygia on his fire escape. _They must've grown while I was gone,_ he thought.

The son of Poseidon climbed the rose-inhabited steps. Blue fairy lights were on in the second floor. _They're home._

Percy held his breath. He pressed the buzzer.

 _ **"Hello? You've reached the Jackson-Blofis residence."**_

 _My gods, they're really home. This is it._

"Paul, you really don't have to go all sophisticated on the visitors, you know? This isn't **a** phone recording."

There was a beat of silence.

A crash and screaming could be heard from inside the door. He tensed. Percy's eyes widened for a fraction of a second in worry then he realized **t** here was someone was coming down the stairs...

The door flipped open.

His stepfather was thrown into view: salt and pepper hair, the whole "teacher but also dad" get up look he was trying out, and a pen was in his ear. He was probably marking some unwanted papers from summer school. Paul looked him over. An unspoken moment ran between the two, a few seconds to dissolve what was finally happening.

And then Paul did something that Percy expected but felt like he didn't deserve. He hugged him.

"You're alive," he said. Percy took that moment to **c** ry into the shoulders of his stepfather, taking the loving embrace he waited for so long.

Paul looked up and down at Percy's appearance. A little more buff and tan then the last year, but still the same lean body and messy raven hair. He couldn't help but notice his stepson's sea-green eyes. Instead of the normal glint of childish mischief and wonder, they were like halfway shattered colored glass. _War torn,_ Paul couldn't help to observe. Despite being only an English teacher, he knew a little bit about tragedies of war. He had some friends who worked in the field: soldiers, a war veteran, a police detective in Central City...

Paul was told of the prices that came with war, defending others, and stopping criminals, even the highly dangerous ones. Earning peace and justice require sacrifices, mainly that costs a lot. Things people do...sometimes hurt too much and sometimes, take too much. On where Percy went, _or what he did,_ on what his other family went through, he didn't want to know without outright permission. It might be painful to him to recount memories.

His stepson's face was a readable one; he was hesitant. Paul couldn't blame him. He was gone for too long. So, Paul did what Percy deserved.

A simple hug.

"You're alive," the teacher simply said. And Percy cried.

Not too hard; Percy didn't cry that easily. Just enough. T **h** ey pulled away after the demigod calmed down.

"Yeah," Percy croaked. "So—uh, are you guys mad at me? For missing all those months...and not contacting as often..."

Paul chuckled. "Mad? You were off saving worlds. Again. For what, the sixth time? Why do we need to be mad about anything?"

"Well, for not leaving a note, for not making my bed, not being in school, etc., etc.," he joked. "Are those blue cookies I smell?"

"Come here." Paul stretched out his arms for another hug, and Percy obliged.

* * *

"Percy!"

Sally dropped everything, not metaphorical, no, she dropped the very physical cookie tray that was in her arms and rushed to her son— _her boy that was missing and was in a world-ending war—_ and embraced him like there was no tomorrow.

He returned the hug. "Hey Mom," Percy whispered, like he was scared to utter the phrase louder and wipe the peace. There were so many hugs today.

"Gods, I missed you so much," She said, taking him all in. "How are you?"

Percy gently gripped Sally's wrist that was touching his cheek and shook his head. _Not now._ She got the message. _I'm not ready yet. Later._ Motherly instincts were basically the Spidey-Sense of Sally Jackson.

"Sally, the oven—"

"Shoot," Sally cursed.

* * *

After the saving of almost burnt cookies, and the unpacking of Percy's things, the family settled down in the living room with coffee and cookies, where Percy was finally comfortable to share his story on the past few months.

When he finished, a resounding silence passed over them, mainly because of everyone in the room processing...all of that stuff.

"My gods," Sally breathed and she rushed to her son's side on the couch. She put her hand over his, comforting him. Her son's head was down. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

Paul rubbed his hands. "Percy, how are you dealing with all of...this?"

Percy smiled. "It's getting better. Reyna offered Annabeth and I a place in New Rome. There's this college there, and monsters can't attack us because of the barrier."

"That's amazing!" Sally and Paul said in unison.

"What do you think you're taking?" Paul asked.

"Marine Biology," Sally guessed. "Maybe vet?"

"Surfing." He deadpanned. Percy rubbed his forehead.

They laughed.

"Oh hey. Guess what." Sally said.

Percy tilted his head and sipped his coffee. "Hmm?"

Sally went to the dining table and came back with a book. Or at least an unpublished copy of one. She handed it to her son.

Percy read the title. " _Andromeda Jackson and the Lost Bolt?"_

"It's a genderbent and slightly changed version of your adventures. I know it's pretty...weird-overwhelming, but I wanted to tell your story. I'm planning on getting it published soon, but on your consent."

"And what do the gods think of this?"

Sally hummed. "Well, I iris-messaged the guy from the Empire State Building-"

"You know him?" Percy interrupted.

"Apparently, he was one of my old high school classmate's brother. It's a small world," Paul explained. "When we tried finding you, we kinda became friends with the receptionist. His name's Don."

"Cool."

Sally continued. "With a lot of persuading and a lot of patience, I got their blessings. Zeus was a bit reluctant but Athena was... pretty okay with the idea." She sounded very reluctant.

Percy was surprised. He placed his mug on the coffee table.

"Really. No offense, but the book seemed like a 'Hey! We're demigods and the gods exist!' sign. I didn't think she'd be on your side for that. Athena's keen on protecting our world."

"Maybe because of the literature? She is the goddess of wisdom, after all," Paul suggested. "And people would think it's merely fiction." Percy felt a pang of remembrance.

"Wait. No, I think...the gods are pretty different lately," Percy replied. "After the war with the Giants and Gaea, the gods kept on IM-ing us or sending us little signs."

It was true. After the war, the gods were more active than before, sending vague messages; claiming at a rapid rate, even more than the Titan War; and letting loose most rules. Chiron said that Zeus was, for once, leaning back and the gods visited there children for more than just a mission.

Maybe because of what Jason said? Maybe the guilt from Apollo? Maybe the many casualties?

Is there something coming?

Demigods didn't know why so suddenly. And that worried the crap out of them.

Percy sipped his coffee. It was lukeworm now, but he ignored the taste. Percy continued, "We don't know why the gods are so active in our lives nowadays. They haven't been like this even after I did that speech and made them d **o** the promise."

"Times are changing," Sally said quietly.  
"When I asked, the gods did look worried. They tried to hide it, but they looked...strained. Hell, thinking about it, why did they answer? They co **u** ld've ignored me, since I'm mortal, and you being my son wouldn't make any difference."

"And when I came on screen, they were unfazed, as if they were expecting it. From what I've heard before, I should've seen some glamourized illusion. But they didn't do anything," Paul added, rubbing his chin. "Maybe because they knew that I already knew? But I was expecting some kind of prejudice reaction, at least."

"They're off," Percy summed up. "The gods were usually acting weird if something's coming."

He closed his eyes and held back his wince. He felt a pang of pain go through his head, before completely disappearing. Percy continued,

"No god's mood changes right after a war. They only fufilled my promise because I made a good point. They usually do that and a while after, they don't. It's been a few weeks and I think, chances are, it's not going to slow down."

"But you did say that someone whispered in Zeus's ear to close Olympus," Paul pointed out.

"... yeah." He winced.

"They decided to go back on that and try to fix things?"

"They... don't do that."

"What if they tried to? Millions of millennia, they need to experiment," Sally suggested.

"I...guess," Percy said rather hesitantly.

A silence fell before them. Paul noticed the uneasiness of the room. He decided to change the subject.

"Sally, do you still want me to edit some grammatical errors? There's probably some ones hidden in the pages."

"Thanks, Paul. Percy, would you please help me with cleaning this up?

"Percy?"

But Percy wasn't listening. He was wrapped up in his thoughts, his eyes were glassy. The pain felt more...present than ever.

"Percy?" His mom repeated.

Percy winced. He rubbed his temple. "Sorry, Mom. Just a... headache."

 _Mom-mode on._ "When did it start?"

"Earlier. Since I came back," Percy confessed.

"You should of told us before," Sally said.

"Do you need any Tylenol? Or is it just stress?" Paul asked.

"There's some nectar and ambrosia in the chest in the bottom cupboard," Sally informed.

"Guys, I'm fine!" _Wow, real convincing._ "I'm tired. It's been a long day. I didn't sleep good last night. Just...I-I'm just stressed and...tired."

" _Percy."_

"I'm fine, Mom!"

The parents looked over to each other for concern for Percy, worriness in their eyes.

"Okay, yell if you need anything," Sally said. "We'll be right here."

Percy got up and gave a wary smile. "Alright...sorry, I just-" he winced. "It'll get better tomorrow, I guess."

Percy walked to his room, when he stumbled a bit. He leaned to the wall for support. Dizziness swirled through him.

"Ugh, what the Hades?" He clutched his forehead again. "I gotta take a shower. Maybe...get some nectar. Why didn't I take it earlier?" He muttered.

Percy staggered to the bathroom and closed the door.

* * *

"Something's up with Percy," Sally said out of the blue.

Paul circled a word error in red. "Very."

"Doesn't he seem...off? He was fine when he was telling us what happened the last few months but he was acting a bit spaced out when we started talking about the actual gods."

Paul tapped his red pen on the desk. "Yes, especially when we mentioned Khione that one time."

"Mostly when we talked about the gods," Sally repeated. "Something must've happened and he's not telling us."

"Or something's probably going to happen and he's worried on what it's going to be," Paul said as he crossed out a word on Sally's transcript.

"We didn't even get to tell him about...the pregnancy."

Paul looked up to Sally with sad eyes.

Suddenly, the pen exploded, making Paul's sweater bleed red. "What the-

"Aw, no. This was my favorite."

Sally chuckled after the shock. "I'll get the towel."

"Please do. My sister gave this to me."

As they talked, the pair didn't notice the hooded figure lurking near the window. The stranger smiled.

"Plan A is a go."

" _Good work, Harbinger."_

* * *

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_


End file.
